Before we knew it, the day was gone and it was time to GLAM UP for the Cynthia Rowley presentation. I excitedly/nervously touched up my makeup from a long day of running around the city and changed clothes. My biggest fear was not being dressed well enough or too much. I was so stressed about this that I basically gave myself a mini anxiety attack Tuesday morning prior to flying out. Thankfully Jason was able to help me calm down a bit! Ok, so I’m sure some of you are thinking, “Whoa, she was doing the most!” And I will admit, YES, I probably was…but HEY! This is a BIG DEAL. It’s not everyday that you can say you got to attend a super groovy fashion presentation in conjunction with Birchbox. Ok, I’m moving on with the story. Promptly at 6:25 PM, Katelyn and I went downstairs to find a fancy smacy black SUV to transport us to the Paramount Hotel. We felt pretty cool.

We successfully made it to the Paramount Hotel in just 10 minutes with a few minutes to spare. So we marveled at the beautiful space. Shortly after, we were escorted upstairs by a Birchbox team member to take part in the backstage fun. And here’s what it was like….

Cynthia Rowley Presentation

BACKSTAGE ACCESS

Seeing all of the models get their hair and makeup done was by far one of the most exciting parts for me! Often times we see this in movies, but it was pretty stinking cool to experience it first hand. All of the commotion in such a tiny space was amazingly impressive.

Birchbox was there being AWESOME per the usual, providing sweet treats and birchbox goodies. Such a great atmosphere.

Shout out to Michael Stewtart for showing Katelyn and I a handy little photography lighting trick with this photo! You’re awesome!

According to Katia, my jacket was extremely soft and cuddly!

The SHOW

Juliette from Birchbox! Absolutely adore this girl. Kind isn’t the word to describe how wonderful she is.

Aerial dancing, anyone?

THE OUTFIT

And last, but certianly not least…here’s my full look from the evening. I must admit, I was beyond pleased with the final outcome. Fashion styling WIN! woot woot.

And that’s a wrap folks! I know this post is wayyyy longer than usual for me, but I just didn’t want to keep you guys waiting any longer. Below you will find the “get the look” details for this ensemble. Also, if you are on Instagram, be sure to double tap the photo corresponding to this post and an awesome company, LiketoKnow.IT, will send you an e-mail as to where you can purchase the exact same or similar products. It’s pretty resourceful. Oh yes, also be sure to checkout hashtags #bbnyfw and #CRsecret on Twitter and Instagram to see more photos from NYFW.

After getting some much needed sleep due to delayed travel and lots of excitement, Katelyn and I got up early to begin our big day! Prior to heading to the Birchbox HQ we met Sarah and Juliette (two awesome gals from Team Birchbox) for breakfast at THE Sarahbeth’s. Let’s just say…the muffins are jamming. ha.

Any who, after finishing up there we simply walked down 2 blocks to the Birchbox HQ…the best way for me to describe this place is to simply call it…”The Googleplex of Beauty Products.” The space is incredibly sleek, open and FUN. Yes, fun. Not a word that is commonly used to describe an office space. So sit back and enjoy a little tour of the coolest office space I’ve EVER seen.

Birchbox HQ

The Lobby Area

A sparkly gnome…only at the Birchbox HQ.

Then this happened. I got to take a few extra samples. Don’t mind if I do!

The famous DISCOVERY wall that we’ve all seen a million times via Instagram! This was a pretty EPIC moment for me. haha.

Making my 1st Instagram of the day on behalf of Birchbox. Another EPIC life moment.

And then we were off to explore the wanderlust baubles of Bauble Bar at their sample.

To see more photos of that adventure, skip on over to Birchbox’s Instagram account (@Birchbox). I posted quite a few there. And for those of you don’t have Instagram…here’s the immediate URL: http://instagram.com/birchbox.

Tomorrow I’ll be posting LOADS OF PHOTOS from the Cynthia Rowley Presentation. Lots of behind the scenes photos just for YOU! Stay Tuned.

Well, I still cannot believe that I won the Birchbox #OOTD contest! It all feels very surreal. I’ve spent the last couple days saying “OMG, did that really happen?” Yup, it did! Ahhh…

Since I was pretty busy running from activity to activity, I felt it would be best for me to do a little #LLRnyfw blog series this week. That way you guys would have a TRUE inside glimpse at everything that happened from beginning to end. So, today I will be covering my stay at the amazingly lush, yet industrial Ace Hotel of Midtown Manhattan.

Ace Hotel

I absolutely love hotels. Especially unique little boutique hotels! I love experiencing new atmospheres and designs. Also, I should note that none of these pictures will do justice to how amazing this spot is. It is definitely one of those places that you have to experience for yourself…and that experience begins the moment you walk into the lobby of the Ace.

All of the artwork and furnishings are from local artists. And this bed…one of the most comfortable hotel beds I’ve ever slept on. Katelyn and I both looked forward to sleeping every night!

This shower was a dream! The water was nice and hot…and the spout is titled! It’s the little things that count.

Welcome goodies we found from Birchbox in our room! Cynthia Rowley eye liner and eye shadow palette, Benefit mascara and a lovely little note. The Birchbox team sure knows how to make a girl feel special.

A fully stocked SMEG Italian fridge with a few of my favs..

And our view from the 6th floor.

Overall, we had a wonderful stay at Ace Hotel and thoroughly enjoyed everything about it! If you are traveling to the city and looking for a unique place to stay…you should definitely checkout Ace. Or if you already live in the city and want to enjoy some good coffee and/or an adult beverage, you should make a trip to 29th Street (btw 5th and 6th) just to experience the lobby. It’s pretty cool. Big thanks to Birchbox for finding such an awesome place for Katelyn and I to rest our little heads.

Be sure to swing by tomorrow as I’ll be sharing pics from my tour of the Birchbox HQ.

I love that moment when you walk into a store, see something and KNOW that you absolutely have to have it. To be honest that happens to me almost every time I walk into a store…it’s almost like imprinting (yes, that is a reference to the Twilight Saga…ha). But imprinting on a new piece of clothing isn’t particularly awesome when you are on a budget. You just stand there trying to convince yourself about how you are going to persuade your husband that this purchase is indeed necessary. It’s during that moment that I usually have to slap myself back to reality, put everything back, and just leave! The temptation to buy it just becomes consuming…(I sound like a drug addict) ugh! Any who, I share all of that to say, that I “fashion imprinted” on this cozy, oatmeal colored sweater from Kohls. Sadly, I had already spent all of my January allowance, but then I remembered I had some Kohls Cash (praise the Lord for Kohls Cash) from Christmas shopping and a gift card from a previous return! I think that God knew I would want this sweater and was looking out for me! Just saying…lol. Here’s a Retro In Snow with imagery by Kimberly J.

I must admit…I’m loving the fur trend and I hope that it NEVER fades away. I feel like we are living in olden days when it was considered “normal” for a woman to regularly wear fur. I would give anything (well, not just anything…lol) to experience the fashion of that era. Just imagine…walking into Bergdorf Goodman’s on 5th Ave in the 1950s to purchase a lush piece of fur, a bottle of Chanel perfume and a pair of black stilettos by Roger Vivier. Oh, the splendor. Now that I’m done daydreaming, let’s get back to this wanderlust Get The Look Thursday…say hello Vintage Fur, my absolute most favorite #GTLT to date with imagery by Kimberly J. Photography!

"Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak." -Rachel Zoe

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